Transitional style satisfies our desire for change

"Today we love what tomorrow we hate; today we seek what tomorrow we shun; today we desire what tomorrow we fear." Daniel Defoe (1661-1731), English writer, "Robinson Crusoe"

Just as in "Robinson Crusoe," our heart’s desires change. Change is constant. At this particular moment, there is a lot of change and transition going on in every facet of our lives; and whether we know it or not, we are transitional beings and make adjustments to most changes pretty seamlessly. We just need the right blend.

The same goes for our homes and our décor. Transitional style is a relatively new term that encompasses all flavors of furniture. There are those of us who buck tradition and want the most extreme things for our homes. And others prefer true, sweet country cottages. But for a lot of us, we want it all. Isn’t that just like some folks you know? I know it’s true for me.

In the furniture and design world, there is a place for us — it’s called transitional and it spans the hard line between pure traditional furniture and edgy contemporary. It can be confusing for some, but when you get the hang of it, it is so freeing not being tied to one style.

Transitional style is a blend. You may find more contemporary materials such as glass or acrylic (see last week’s column) mixed with lush, cozy fabrics. Perhaps you will see a chenille-upholstered bench sitting on fabulous acrylic legs. Nothing could be more transitional, and it will blend with anything else you may have in your home.

Transitional style is confusing to a lot of folks because they think they must have certain elements to accomplish the look. Well, you don’t. Design, as with most things in our lives, is all about personal style and choices. And as I have said many, many times, there is no design police.

When you select furnishings you love, colors and fabrics that inspire you and choose pieces that reflect your personality, you can never go wrong. Along those lines, transitional is similar to eclectic, where you have disparate pieces tied together by a color or pattern. Transitional doesn’t rely on a color component, it is just a easy blend of styles.

I wanted to show you a couple of pieces that are part of a new transitional line from Broyhill Furniture (www.broyhillfurniture.com). My curiosity and interest in these pieces is twofold. One, the pieces appear to be really user friendly and very easy to live with; and two, they come from Broyhill.

I grew up in North Carolina and have been familiar with various North Carolina manufacturers all of my life; Broyhill is certainly one of those. Some of my relatives worked at Broyhill years ago and the furniture has been a staple in homes for decades. It is based in Lenoir and has been a leader in the manufacture and sale of traditional furniture for more than 100 years. And now guess what? It, like many other traditional manufacturers, has moved into "transition" mode, and is now making and selling more contemporary and transitional furniture.

In design, as in other aspects of our lives, our tastes and desires change. Those who provide us with our heart’s desires have to change with the times and meet the needs of the marketplace. Broyhill seems to have stepped up with its new collections.

If one style is proving to be a little stale and not as exciting as it once was, branch out into others. Don’t be afraid to mix styles. Get into the transitional mode — your space will be much more interesting and exciting. You’re not locked into one style, and that can easily satisfy the ever-present need for change.

Carolyn Muse Grant is a founder and past president of the Architectural & Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant/stylist specializing in home staging. Her Inside Spaces column appears weekly in the Home section of the Review-Journal. Send questions to creativemuse@cox.net.